Beehive Lakes

Beehive Lakes is a 5.7 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Sandpoint, Idaho that features a lake and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, and backpacking and is best used from June until October. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.

Just hiked this weekend. very smoky unfortunately, but still a great hike. Cairns were helpful once you get to the rock slabs on top. the trail was very well maintained, and we were able to find a beautiful camping spot with a gorgeous view of the lake. the lake was refreshingly ice cold, and felt amazing after the trek up.

Just completed my first time to Beehive Lake and I can tell you...beautiful lake. It was almost exactly 4.5 miles into the lake and the same out. Trail is good, some spots narrow with brush and last half mile up a rock face...but well marked with cairns. I will tell you...moderate is a little forgiving for this hike. I am 47 and in average shape, and this was a tough hike in...but swimming in the lake made it worth the hard work. Not a lot of camp sites, but worth making it an overnight trip...star gazing was incredible and so was the fishing! Highly recommend for those in decent shape, looking for high mountain swimming, fishing and star gazing!

We clocked 7 miles even round trip. Beautiful hike with an abundance of views! Not overly crowded. In fact mid-afternoon on a Sunday and we only shared the lake with two other hikers. Bring a suit and jump in and stay awhile, you've earned a swim after that elevation gain. We weren't sure how to get to the second lake but heard/read it was a scramble over the ridge so we opted to save that experience for a day we had more time. My only advice is to watch for the cairns and follow them when granite takes over trail. They are there for a reason and will lead you right to the lake.

This trail certainly earns it high rating, but as previous commenters have mentioned, it is not for those that may be out of shape or injured. It is roughly 5.7 miles up, and the same distance down, and while the ascent is , for the most part, gradual, there are some long rock faces you have to cover, and the trail was marked by cairns (rock piles) when we went up. Aside from this section, the trail is mostly shaded, but can be hot in summer time , so bring water, and a filter if you want to fill up at the lake. Beehive Lake itself has some amazing vantage points, as there are some impressive sheer rock faces creating a backdrop to the water, and then where the creek flows out are some lookouts that give expansive views of the valley of Pack River, and the Roman Nose peak area. There are campsites by the lake, but some of the ground may be swampy certain times of year, and we did encounter some mosquitoes, so bug repellent may be warranted. The access road is very drivable, even for a generic car, though poor weather may affect this scenario. In late Sep. of this year I did an overnight backpacking excursion to Beehive Lake, and I camped in a spot on the West shore, which was more exposed to air coming off the mountain, and had less overall tree coverage. The ground was a bit wetter and swampy, and the water sources, both still and moving, appeared to have the potential for natural contamination. I advise camping on the East shore if possible, and always seek out deadfall first when building a fire, as the trees become limited on the West side of the lake.

Fabulous hike. The lake this thawed and beautiful. Full of fish ready to be caught. Many camping site. Highly trafficked. We hiked to top of twin peaks the hard way I guess. Bushwhacked right up the face. But we made it. Great day amazing views. Can’t wait to take the family. Hike is pretty easy for any semi fit person. .

This hike is a great fall hike with spectacular views! The last quarter mile is a bit confusing and could be dangerous during a rainfall since you're on a granite slab. Always manage to catch fish and it has some very decent campsites at the lake. Giving it 4 stars because there are always a few groups of people on the trail when we go and I prefer to be on trails that are empty. Dogs don't need to be on a leash but with all the people it's just common courtesy. We have hiked this after work and it goes fast!

great hike! I would call it more intermediate than moderate. the views are amazing but the right now there is a lot of snow up on top and the lake is almost completely frozen. Definitely will do it in August!

In a sedan, I was able to access the trail with not more than a little trouble on the forest service road on the way in--Harrison would, however, have been quite dicey without some serious snow tires. The trail still has a good bit of snow on it in a number of spots. The only tracks I saw were moose, so I may have been the first hiker on it this spring/summer... or at least in a while. I was able to find and then follow the trail for the first bit, though some of it was completely snow-covered (3 or 4 feet in spots). I went up about 2.25 miles, and after the trail became again completely snow-covered, I could no longer tell where it was at all, so I turned back. This was a disappointment, but I don't know the trail well, and I was alone, so it was a prudent decision.

From what I recall of a previous visit, the lake at the top is a worthy payoff.

Fun trail with some with some pathfinding on a bare faced granite slope about halfway up. The trail is absolutely doable for less physically fit individuals (like me!) just make sure to take ample breaks. The lake was extremely cold in mid September but provides a rewarding dip if you so choose. Campsites are large but I only found 3 suitable sites (more adventurous folk may find more). Scramble up the granite slate field to the top of the nearest peak for breathtaking views of Beehive and Little Harrison lakes and the surrounding mountains, but only do so if that is within your comfort level! I recommend spending the night on the mountain as the surrounding area is well worth exploring in the morning!

The hike to Beehive Lakes is splendid. The trailhead is easy enough to find. There is ample parking, though it was nearly filled to the brim on this fine Sunday. Others like me, had decided to take advantage of the last vestiges of summer, to get a peek of Beehive Lake. I met some lovely people on the trail, and had some nice chats.

The weather was as pleasant as one might expect. It was a fusion of seasons. The waning summer sun shone as brightly as it could. The foliage of autumn adorned the trail. And Susy Snowflake had decorated the way for us.

The trail does not present any ambiguity as to how your route will proceed. Up is the direction this trail quickly goes, near-unremitting ascent, punctuated only periodically with a few patches of mercifully-level track. The first 3.2 miles of the trail is clearly discernible, transitioning to a climb up bare-faced granite, with only rock cairns to occasionally mark the right way. Although there is not any semblance of a trail on this rocky scramble, up is the direction you will need to go. (Please note: Pay attention to the point where the trail connects to the rock, it will save you a bit of searching on your way back down.)

The lake was glorious on this day, reflecting the mountain peaks as a silver mirror. Snow dusted the surrounding cliffs, and the shore had about 3-4 inches of snow on the ground.

No doubt, Lady Winter shall soon spread her bridal veil across Beehive Lake, and snow shoes will soon be in order. For now, the hiking is fine!

Even with the smoke in the air, this was still a beautiful hike. Hopped over the ridge to the north and went down into the northern Beehive Lake, there was a little waterfall there. The only negative about this area, is that it seems a little too popular for my tastes, there were 3 other groups at the lake in the middle of the week. There is a bear box at the lake for food storage.

This was a great lake to hike to. It was not strenuous in any areas but it did provide some good exercise especially with our packs on. Some trail advice that was given to us by another hiker in passing, when you get to the large granite slabs, follow the stacked rocks. When you look up, you will see them as you head towards the lake. The stacks of rocks provide markers for efficient trail routes. We camped out on the West side of the lake which offered seclusion and a view. though this is bear country, we did not encounter any. always be prepared though.

Only made it 4 miles up and back because we had young children. Will be hiking all the way to the lake though soon. Be bear aware as we encountered a black bear. Make lots of noise around blind corners.

We did this hike on 7/09/17. Little bit of snow at the top but not bad at all. Took us about 2 hours to go up and 1.5 hours to come back down. It was hot during the day, so I wish we would've started earlier in the morning (we started at 10am). The lake is refreshing and the breeze up there is nice, though. Gorgeous lake. Will definitely do again!

challenging but worth it! lake is finally free from snow except along some of its borders. ice cold and so refreshing after all those switchbacks in the sun. took us 2 hours at a steady pace to the top and 1.5 back down. make a lot of noise--the brush is thick and there are a lot of blind corners.

Amazing! Though a trek, absolutely worth the hike. When I got to the top (late July) there was still a little bit of snow but that didn't stop our group from polar plunging into the lake to beat the summer's heat.

Andrew C.

The views from the second half of this trail are great. Take in the valley and adjacent peaks/ridges. All the exposed granite in this area is unique to look at. Beehive lake itself is also quite beautiful. Walking on the granite in this area is pretty awesome when it is not icy. The traction is great and its fun.

The trail head is easy to drive to and find. The roads are in good condition and it is signed. Upper pack river road is frequently traveled and generally well maintained. It leads to trail heads for several trails.

There are camp sites both at the trail head and by the lakes. A couple camp sites I saw were quite large, enough for a half dozen tents probably. Although there seems to be a lot of people wanting to camp up there, so don't count on the site being vacant.

The distance to the first camp site at the southern lake was just under 4 miles from the trail head on my GPS.

We hiked on 7/23/16. Trail is great, the only snow was on the high peaks. The lake is gorgeous, too cold to jump in still. Make sure after mile 3 to start looking for the smaller lake below- hard to see through the trees.

Attempted backpacking trail however it was raining and then turned to pouring then turned to snowing. We made it too the lake which was still mostly covered in ice with about 4' of snow around it. We just turned around it booked it down as we didn't have our winter camping gear with us. Beautiful hike but it was still a little early this year.